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Manchester’s finest are the most collectable British band of the last 15 years, says BILLY ALBERT

In the last 30 years, no city has produced such a rich lineage of revered rock music as Manchester. Liverpool hasn’t, Birmingham hasn’t, not even London can be credited with the consistency of the music capital of the North. Manchester’s post-punk family tree starts with bands such as Buzzcocks, Joy Division and The Fall in the late 70s. During the beginning of the 1980s, there was the growth of the first truly successful indie bands in the form of New Order and The Smiths. The latter end of that decade brought us the Madchester scene with the Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets and James.

In the 1990s and beyond, the last great band that Manchester has produced is Oasis, and it will be no surprise to anyone that they have achieved the greatest commercial success. Now that they have released their long-awaited compilation album, Stop The Clocks, and collected their Lifetime Achievement Award at February’s Brits, it is perhaps time that RC provided their own tribute to the band.

We have produced a Top 50 list of UK Oasis rarities, compiled from Record Collector’s own Rare Record Price Guide 2008, plus a handful of new rarities that have appeared or become known since the guide was issued.

The band have now released six studio albums, some heralded as masterpieces, …

by Billy Albert
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